


Biohazard

by BigMel



Category: SCP Foundation
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Death, Gen, Gore, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, PTSD, Violence, no beta we die like men, references to scp-4231, scp-939 - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:34:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28792524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigMel/pseuds/BigMel
Summary: 'Due to circumstances outside of our control, this directive has now changed. Our new mission will be the extermination of the human race.There will be no further communication.'
Comments: 32
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There isn't enough scp zombie au content so I tried to make it myself :)

_"For those of you who are not currently aware of our existence, we represent the organisation known as the SCP Foundation. Our previous mission centred around the containment and study of anomalous objects, entities and other assorted phenomena. This mission was the focus of our organisation for more than one-hundred years._ _Due to circumstances outside of our control, this directive has now changed. Our new mission will be the extermination of the human race._

_There will be no further communication."_

The O5s gave the order. The last of the D-class were exposed to SCP-008, the MTFs and Nine Tailed Fox were terminated and each site was abandoned. Of course only the O5s knew about this arrangement, they're the only ones to be trusted to stick to the plan and rebuild the foundation in a new timeline. No need for traitors getting in the way.

It all happened so quickly: A sudden breach of D-class cells, word of a researcher being bitten by a D-class, then absolute carnage throughout Site 19. Kondraki was in his office trying to complete a seemingly endless pile of paperwork when heard voices filled with tension in the distance. He assumed it was just a group of junior researchers arguing about an SCP they'd only ever heard rumours of, but something seemed off. Their tone sounded all too panicked to be a simple petty argument. He reluctantly got up from his desk and peered down the hall, no point in letting some idiots disturb him. He marched up to the group and noticed that the so-called argument was definitely not as simple as he thought.

A bloodied researcher sat against the wall with a group of equally as young researchers surrounding her, wide eyes fixated on a wound on her upper arm. Upon closer inspection the wound looked more like a huge chunk of flesh had been ripped away, leaving exposed muscle and tissue in its wake and gushing with thick blood. Kondraki usually wouldn't take notice of what he saw as a bunch of noisy kids but as far as he knew there were no tests being carried out that morning so there was no reason for someone to be wounded that badly.

"What's happened here?" He approached the wounded girl and saw that the wound would definitely need more than disinfecting and bandaging. A young, scrawny man turned to him with such a pale, sickly complexion that he might as well have been drained of all his blood. Poor thing probably hadn't seen anything beyond a paper cut in his life.

"Y-You have to help, some crazy D-class just came and bit her!” Kondraki almost felt bad for the kid, he probably wasn't expecting serious workplace injuries to be commonplace here.

"Alright, just calm down for me. I need you to tell me what this guy looked like so I can contact security and get it sorted."

"Well...He looked like a zombie."

Kondraki's blood ran cold for a second. There's no way he was telling the truth, it must just be an elaborate prank. There's no way _that_ SCP could have found it's way anywhere near this place- 

As if to destroy the man's feeble attempt to remain hopeful, a blood-curdling scream echoed down the hall followed by a stumbling D-class whose skin was tainted black with gangrene. /Oh fuck./ 

"All of you, come with me and you better make it quick." They nodded and helped the wounded researcher up and awaited order from the older man. 

Kondraki didn't think too much about if the group could keep up, he just dashed down the identical halls and desperately tried to recall where SCP-500 was. What if this started hours ago and he never realised? What if hundreds are already infected? There wouldn't be enough pills for more than 50 people and the cacophonous sounds of death only seemed to multiply as they reverberated through the facility. After what seemed like a lifetime of running they reached SCP-500's containment. As he opened the door, his worries were confirmed as he found nothing but an empty white room with no bottle in sight. 

_This can't be real, this must be a horrible nightmare. He's gonna wake up soon, trudge to work and endure piles of paperwork. He just had to wake up._

He must have been standing there dwelling on this new hell for longer than what would be safe for anyone in this situation because as he finally came back to his senses, the group of researchers waiting for their only hope outside the containment room had fled. As he turned around, all he could see was a much larger one of the now-infected D-class staggering towards him. 

And Kondraki didn't even think to bring a weapon. 

All he could do was keep moving until his back was pressed up against the wall like a mouse that had entered into a vulture's domain. He shut his eyes tight but instead of feeling pain wash over him he heard a gunshot and a loud thump that reverberated through the floor. 

Kondraki opened his eyes and saw none other than Jack Bright in the doorway, lowering the pistol used to save his life just seconds before. He never thought he'd be thankful for Bright's presence, but here they were.


	2. Chapter 2

"No pills? Fuck, it's always gotta be difficult for us." Bright sighed and gestured with his head back to the hallway.

"Come on, we have to get out of here before we end up roaming this place too." Kondraki just nodded, still in disbelief at his luck. 

As they sped down the endless halls he couldn't help but think about where his coworkers might be. Rights and Light were at a different site, maybe they're okay? Maybe another site was notified about what happened and help would be arriving in no time. Or maybe this was the plan all along. But why would they want to destroy Site 19 like this? Assuming that this hasn't spread beyond the facility. 

_Oh god, what if Draven gets caught up in this? What if there's nobody around to keep him safe?_

His thoughts began to make him feel sick. If this was really just a dream the stress would have woken him up by now. This is real life. He can't escape the upcoming reality of not being able to save the people closest to him, watching them die horrifically in a world that should have never ended up this way. 

Kondraki didn't notice that he had overtaken Bright before he pulled him back from turning the corner just before Gate A. He looked around the corner more carefully this time and saw a horde of at least ten zombies attracted to a small crack in the door which let in a sliver of sunlight. There goes the escape plan. 

Bright seemed to be in deep thought before donning a look of defeat and quietly making his way back down the hall, making a conscious effort to move in the opposite direction of the ungodly shouts and growls that rattled through the corridors. 

Bright stopped at his office, pressing an ear against the door to make sure nothing was in there before entering. They both trudged in and sat against the wall with an exasperated sigh. 

"What the fuck." Bright seemed to only now be processing the situation and Kondraki didn't blame him. It was so surreal that the feelings of depression and hopelessness had no chance to truly work their way into the mix of emotions. 

Kondraki couldn't imagine how Bright must feel right now. One of his brothers being an SCP and another being part of the O5, how could he not feel a sense of failure and abandonment if the O5s really did orchestrate this and TJ is still alive? What if TJ was wondering where everyone had gone, or worse? 

They stayed silent for a while, staring at the opposite wall and listening to the occasional scream ring through the facility. 

"Do you think the others are okay?” Kondraki turned his head to face the other man. At least he was stuck with someone bearable.

"Possibly. They're not stupid and they all have some sort of combat training." Bright thought about Glass for a moment. Simon Glass, the man who wouldn't hurt a fly, is now stuck in a situation where it's kill or be killed. He hated to admit it but Simon's chances of survival were slim if not non-existent. 

"Well, I suppose we could go look for everyone once things die down." Bright nodded in agreement and waited for just that - an opportunity to look for their coworkers. Either to create a stronger group or confirm their deaths.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you.for the kudos and nice messages please tell me if there's anything I can improve :)

Bright took a pistol out of the desk drawer and handed it to Kondraki along with a few magazines before they left the room. The once pristine white corridors were now tainted with blood and dirt, bodies with either a simple bullet wound in the head or entire chunks of their heads missing. The sanitised, hospital-like smell now replaced by the smell of gunpowder and rotting flesh. The deceptive appearance of a mundane facility crumbled to reveal what it really was: Hell on earth. 

As they entered the containment area all they could see was the same old bloodied corridors but as they reached a corner they noticed... Plants? 

Withering plants and foliage, just growing through the ground and walls and becoming less sparse as they lead down the corridor about fifteen meters towards something that both men never expected to see. 

SCP-166 was barely standing upright just outside the door to her containment, displaying the same unfortunate ailments they saw in the D-classes. Standing in front of her was Clef, barely able to hold up his shotgun or even look her in the eye as she stumbled closer. 

"Please, sweetheart, don't do this to me." He pleaded with the walking corpse, his bold facade crashing down. 

Clef couldn't cope with the thoughts in his head. _He said he'd keep her safe and now look what's happened. He doesn't even have the balls to put her out of her misery. Happily slaughtering her mother but not even being able to do what's for her own good? Pathetic._

Tears threatened to fall down his face as what was once Meri continued to stagger towards him, probably the closest they've ever been to each other since he abandoned her at the convent. Clef felt an urge to just end it here, hug her and tell her everything will be okay. 

On the other hand, he saw parts of Lilly in her. The monster that made his life hell and turned him into the monster he can't even bare to look at in the mirror everyday. The monster that always managed to creep into his brain and rear away at his sanity all too often. The bitch that he wished to kill again and again every night. 

He quickly raised the shotgun and pulled the trigger, anything to drown out the thoughts in his head. The sight of her head exploding and the sound brain matter splattering onto the wall behind her did more than enough to make his mind go painfully silent. All Clef could force himself to do now was sit down and look at what he'd done. 

Kondraki just stood and watched as the plants retreated back into the concrete, leaving corroded patterns and holes from where the girl had once affected it. 

It was uncomfortable to see the cocky bastard so broken and hopeless. Kondraki thought he'd be satisfied seeing him put in his place for once in his life but not like this. This was beyond fucked up. The ripples in reality that began to form around Clef confirmed that something had been well and truly destroyed inside him. 

"Clef?" Kondraki called out quietly. The last thing he wanted was to alarm a reality bender, especially in a situation like this. Although Clef didn't move, he seemed to acknowledge their presence as the ripples became faint enough for the surroundings to not look as if the whole place was melting. 

Bright began to walk towards him slowly, the taller man following suit behind him. Bright had always been better friends with him than Kondraki so maybe it'd be better for him to take the lead. 

"You saw it, didn't you." Clef broke the silence, never taking his eyes off the bloody mess on the floor. 

"You did what you had to." Bright considered sitting next to him until he heard growling tormenting them from outside the containment area's large metal doors. Probably drawn here by the gunshot. 

"I'll go sort them out. Ben, you stay here. He's in no state to be moving about right now." With that, he took off down the hall and around the corner. 

And then the ear piercing silence set in again.


	4. Chapter 4

Kondraki was never the best person to go to for comfort. Sure, he'd dealt with his fair share of upset coworkers but the solution was always to send them off to Glass and the problem was almost never something as personal as having to kill your own family. Your only family, as far as the taller man knew. 

He sat down next to Clef, trying not to look at the mess of what once was a bright eyed, kind hearted, almost-human being. If he couldn't bring himself to look at it then it must have been destroying the smaller man to be staring at it blankly and seemingly never blinking. 

Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Kondraki began to force out any words that could at least wake the broken shell in front of him from his current state. 

"Hey, Clef... I... I'm so fucking sorry. I know we've had more than enough fights for me to be the wrong person to be sitting here with you right now but I don't want you to feel that you're alone. You know we care about you, we're like a little dysfunctional family y'know?" 

Clef's shoulders raised as he took a sharp, shaky breath through now parted lips. He tore his eyes away from the gruesome scene to look up at Kondraki, tears silently cascading down his cheeks. Usually the reality bender would see hostility in those green eyes but all he saw now was genuine concern and arms opening for him. The only response he could muster up was for his head to fall into the other man's chest and for more tears and cries to break free. 

Another warm weight joined the hug minutes later, making him feel more protected but also more pathetic. _Weak and pathetic, the complete opposite of his big and strong persona he puts on display for everyone._ He always tried to force her voice out of his head but it's as if it had burrowed into his brain for good, threatening to end him if he uttered a word about it. 

"Let's get somewhere safe, ey? I think we could all do with some rest." Bright patted his shoulder and stood up, Kondraki carefully helping him up as if he would break in an instant. 

The repetitive hallways and quiet buzz of lights made the trip back to Bright's office seemed so much longer than it should have been, the only differences in atmosphere being patterns of blood and gore painted on the walls and the occasional tear in reality repairing itself. The air felt painfully heavy as what they had seen reminded them that they are all just insignificant organisms waiting to be killed or taken over. There was no escape from this. 

They finally reached yet another white door, only knowing that it's the room they were looking for when Bright turns to it and swipes a card against the reader beside it. The door slides open and they all enter, feeling at least a little safer than being out in the open. 

The next few hours were spent just sitting in silence. It was hard to even comprehend the situation let alone recognise that they were indeed abandoned in a possible end-of-word scenario, all they could do is hope that this hasn't spread beyond the facility. Along with the thoughts came a lot of 'what if's - what if this isn't just a simple disease? What if the O5s were not telling the full truth in 008s case file? What if the world is fucked already and they were doomed to rot away in this facility? 

Finally Bright cut through the silence. 

"Well, we can't sit here wasting away stewing in our own thoughts forever. We're gonna need to find food and a way out of here eventually." 

He got up and opened one of the drawers at the side of the desk, beginning to dig through it. As Kondraki stood and looked into the drawer, he spotted multiple items that he had 'borrowed' over the years amongst an array of other workplace items. If he didn't know any better he would have assumed Bright was a mad hoarder getting ready for a worldwide stationery drought. 

Bright finally pulled out a beaten up piece of paper and unfolded it to reveal a map of the facility. The print was worn down in places and stained with ink from a pen that had presumably exploded on top of it but it was decipherable nonetheless. 

As they all began to mark down places to go and any places that may have changed (the map looked to be at least ten years old), another thought came to mind. What was the time? What day is it? How long had they been there? They would have to find a clock at some point to make sure they don't lose track of time as well for the sake of their own sanity. 

Once the planning was over they all agreed to sleep for a while before going back out. Bright had the privilege of having a small sofa in his office which was promptly offered to Clef for the time being due to the fact that it would just be cruel to make the grieving man who looked like he was one blink from passing out sleep on the floor. They could sort out a rotation for who gets to sleep on the sofa once they woke up anyway. 

Clef didn't realise how exhausted he was until his head connected with the sofa cushions and made him pass out almost instantly. The escape from this hell was welcomed with every ounce of his being and he finally felt okay. But this was just a dream in his own mind. 

He was never safe from his own mind. 

The darkness began to suffocate him, overwhelming him from all directions. The sickeningly familiar feeling of nails drifting over his skin made a lump jump to his throat and restricted him from making any sound. Any cry for help or words of protest drowned out by his own traitorous body blocking every inch of his lungs with an unknown force. He should have been used to these dreams by now, and he would have been if his fresh wound hadn't taken up residence in his own personal hellscape. 

All he could see in the darkness was his own daughter's body lying on the floor, head barely attached to the neck and unrecognisable pieces of flesh splattered around it. As he finally found the strength to move back, the body began to twitch and reach out to him. A familiar cry contaminated by monstrous wailing filled his ears as the body got up and began shuffling towards him. The screams became louder and louder as he finally turned to run and saw - 

Clef shot upright, clutching his head and shaking almost violently. He sat there for what felt like an eternity trying to calm himself down enough to break out of the paralysing fear until he heard someone in the darkness. 

"You okay?" He quickly turned his head to see the figure of what he could only assume was Kondraki laying on the floor next to the bed, the only indication of him being awake being his head slightly lifted with his hand resting underneath. Clef just nodded and hummed in confirmation as he slowly laid back on the sofa again. 

"We'll get through this, okay? We'll escape this place and find out what's waiting for us out there then we can figure out a plan." 

"I guess." Clef didn't completely believe him but it was nice to listen to anything but his own thoughts for a while. 

"We're the biggest scariest motherfuckers to step foot in the foundation, I mean, is there anything we can't do?" The blonde laughed quietly. 

"I guess you did ride the massive lizard." They both laughed at that bizarre but fond memory, now that was an interesting morning. 

"And what about your date with 173? Did anything come out of that?" 

"Was a lovely girl, just not quite my type. Seemed like she had eyes for everyone." 

They carried on exchanging and laughing at the memories they had collected over the past several years until the conversation slowly died down. There was just a few moments of silence before Clef spoke up. 

"Konny?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Can you keep talking to me?" 

As if on cue, Kondraki began to talk about anything his mind could gather up: memories of containment breaches, stupid pranks inflicted upon him by Clef, even things from his own life like high school science experiments gone wrong. Eventually the sound of breathing began to even out as the blonde drifted off to sleep once again. 

"Goodnight Alto."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is a bit cheesy I promise it'll get more interesting soon :)
> 
> also if you're interested my tumblr is thebiggestmel ^^


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is late I've been losing motivation and ideas lately, you can probably see it in the writing too but I hope you enjoy it anyway :)

They all woke up several hours later feeling extremely groggy at best, probably having overslept from the lack of sunlight indicating the time of day. Not that time mattered that much anymore. Kondraki eventually stood up, tiredly trudging to the light switch and flicking it. 

But nothing happened. 

He flicked the switch back and forth several times until it was absolutely apparent that it was no longer of use and sighed. "Bright, you got a torch or something in here?" 

As if on cue he began to trifle through the cluttered drawers once again until he produced an old, beaten up wind up torch. He started to wind it up until a beam of light began to shine right at the other man's face. Kondraki flinched and raised his hand to shield his eyes before taking it. 

"Don't you have anything better than this?" 

"Would you rather be able to see fuck all?" 

Clef sat up from his place on the sofa and rubbed his eye. "Just accept the shitty torch, Benji." 

"...Fine, it'll do." He wound up the torch a bit more for good measure, listening to the grating crank of the mechanism invade the room. 

Bright swiped his card against the reader next to the door but was greeted with the same thing they woke up with. Complete darkness. _Fuck._

They all looked at each other for a solid moment, trying to figure out what on earth to do next. What are they going to do with no light apart from a shitty wind up torch in a huge building full of zombies? 

"The generators." Clef grabbed the map from the previous night (assuming it was actually nighttime) that was left on the table. 

"There must be generators in here, why the fuck wouldn't there be?” They all huddled around the map, frantically trying to find anything related to a generator. 

After minutes of trying to read the tiny print in almost complete darkness, they spotted a room in the basement level marked 'Maintenance Room'. That's close enough, right? They stood at the door for a while longer, should they really be going out there in the dark? The tension was almost sickening, waiting for one of them to take the first step into the dangerously silent abyss. 

_Well, if I die I'll get out of this hellhole._ Kondraki thought as he took a deep breath and stepped outside the room. The remaining two followed suit, letting out a relieved breath as if to thank the tallest of them for stepping up to the challenge. 

He was almost thankful for their silent agreement to be as quiet as possible, not just for the safety factor but also for the chance given to him to think about everything again starting with the thing sticking out the most to him. Why is Clef acting like nothing has happened? He seemed way too calm for his situation, especially considering his state yesterday. There was barely a hint of apprehension or sadness in him, sure he wasn't his usual annoyingly charismatic self but this was a serious situation. 

The walk to the basement was interrupted by a faint voice, a familiar voice. A voice calling out over the sounds of gurgling and growling that could have only been a couple of halls away. A gentle voice that their feet subconsciously began to seek out to save. A voice that could only be Simon Glass. 

They reached a small group of shambling corpses at the end of a hall and rushed to eliminate them all to find the man behind the voice. 

"Simon?" Bright called out as he turned a corner. Then he froze. _It's not him._

A giant, red, eyeless mass stood halfway down the hall, rearing it's head away as the light struck it. The scream that sounded so much like their friend transformed into an ungodly screech that shook their bodies as it's claws clashed against the floor in pain and anger. 

As the beast began to charge at them, Bright grabbed each of the men's arms and charged towards the closest door he could swing open and shove them all in. Unfortunately, this room wasn't an office like earlier but a closet that just barely granted them space to move properly. 

The instance of SCP-939 began to slam against the door, it's screaming alternating between screeches and the screams of Glass. But nobody could bring themselves to do anything but stand there struck with the realisation that one of their friends had been eaten by something other than the corpses roaming the place. The screams became almost taunting, a constant reminder of the kind-hearted man's most likely agonising death. 

The small but incomprehensible tears in reality began to form again. The reality bender's once-unbreakable shell was cracking once again under pressure that will most likely torment him again and again. _The great Alto Clef was once again reduced to a traumatised child with no control over his emotions._

Kondraki shuffled around Bright who seemed to be too busy brooding to notice anything at the moment. Clef snapped his gaze to look up at the brunette as soon as he felt a hand on his shoulder. For a moment the taller man could have sworn he saw something beyond fear in the man's eyes before they transformed into a look of relief upon noticing who it was. 

Their moment of just staring at each other in a seemingly silent conversation was interrupted by a bright light filling the small closet. Bright was holding a large flashlight which they assumed came from the cluttered shelves that lined the walls. 

"Kon, how far are we from the basement?" 

He looked at the map, now fully visible under their new and considerably more powerful light. "Round the corner and five doors down." 

"Right. We'll give this fucker what it deserves." With that, he swiped his card against the reader and thrust the beam of light right into the monster's face. It recoiled in pain and let out an ear piercing screech, giving them enough time to escape round the corner. 

The sound of claws clicking along the floor remained dangerously close even with Bright trying to steady the beam of light so it would stay on it's face. They finally reached the door to the basement, managing to get through and close it just as the creature's footsteps reached them. The agonising sounds of claws on metal motivated them to keep pressing on, carrying their exhausted legs down the constantly winding halls. Finally they reached a set of double doors that they were so desperately longing for. 

All three of the men collapsed against the door once it securely shut behind them, once again sharing a moment of silence to process an event that never should have happened. 

It just keeps getting worse. How many other anomalies have escaped? Site 19 was known for being a shitshow even without a virus ravaging the facility so it could only go downhill from here. Losing Glass like that will definitely take a toll on the three of them too, especially Bright. He probably spent more time in therapy than anyone else who worked there so they had ended up being close friends over the years. Leaving the already unstable guy with the fact that one of his closest friends had been eaten by some sort of taunting apex predator is definitely not a good thing. 

Clef finally stood up and took a few steps forward, taking a couple of seconds to survey the room before turning on his heel to the other two. The switch in his brain had clearly flipped once again, hands resting on his hips and that telltale grin on his face. 

"Well, the generator won't turn on by itself. Up and at em boys."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for the long wait, it's been so hard to get any ideas down properly at the moment it's as if I go brain dead, promise this won't be a dead fic for a good few chapters yet, as always let me know how to improve and thank you for reading ^^

Clef didn't even wait for a response before turning to inspect the generator on the far left of the room, leaving the two men to stare at each other in confusion and a hint of lingering despair. Finally, Jack stood up and slowly made his way to a notice board that hung from the wall between two generators.   
  
Kondraki looked over a nearby panel covered with buttons and quickly realised that he had no idea how to work one of these things. Hell, it was safe to assume that none of them had any idea of where to start and they would most likely resort to aimlessly pressing buttons in hopes that it will go their way.

After a long moment of simply staring at the buttons and markings on the panel, Jack came over and placed a note in front of him.   
  
_'Daniel please get generator key from boiler room at end of the day._  
 _-Andy'_  
  
Jack then pointed at a door on the far right of the room where a cacophony of growling was emitting from, coincidentally labelled 'Boiler Room'.

_Fuck_.  
  
"Found the secret to this thing huh?" Clef sauntered over to the two, eyeing the note in Kondraki's hands. "And I'll take a lucky guess and say that we have to go in the room that's making a lot of concerning noises?"   
  
"Let's just get it over with." Kondraki moved to the door and placed both hands on the handle. "I'm gonna let them out one at a time, you two take care of them." When they both took out their weapons, he opened the door and waited for the pushing sensation on the door.   
  
The feeling of something forcing itself against the other side was definitely there, and definitely stronger than anticipated. _Way_ stronger than anticipated. The growling got louder and seemed to multiply as Kondraki put as much effort as possible into trying to shut the door again.   
  
Clef swung the strap of his shotgun back over his shoulder and ran over to the door, pushing all his weight into the door beside the taller man. Even with both of their weight it felt like the door just kept opening inch by inch, cold dead fingers beginning to poke through the gap. Eventually a whole arm shot out from the gap and began to reach for them.   
  
"Jack, come and kill these fuckers!" Clef shouted out to him but he didn't respond. He just stood there vacantly, staring far off into the distance. They didn't have much time to take into account his strange behaviour before another considerably stronger looking arm burst out and grabbed Clef by the arm.   
  
As the reality bender struggled to free his arm from the monster and Kondraki's focus was brought to the man next to him, the door was forced open and their aggressors were now pouring out. Rather than multiple zombies as originally believed, it was instead four rather strong now-zombified maintenance workers ready to put every ounce of effort into getting their next meal.   
  
Clef struggled to shift the shotgun strap to fall down his arm as the zombie began to pull him closer. As soon as he managed to grip the handle of the shotgun he aimed as close to the head as possible and pulled the trigger, effectively blowing half its head off but falling from the harsh recoil ripping through his arm. As if it couldn't get any worse, the heavy body came plummeting forwards and landed on his legs.   
  
He grimaced at the pain invading his body and forced himself to reach for the shotgun that had escaped his grip as he fell and landed just beyond his reach. He looked back at Jack who was still standing there disturbingly still then at Kondraki who had his hands full defending the aforementioned from two of the massive zombies.   
  
There was no point questioning where the fourth one was as a large imposing shadow began to slowly close in on him. Before he could even struggle his way out from under the dead weight on top of his legs his mind slowed down again, the same as all the other times _she_ came back to haunt him.   
  
_You know why nobody's come to fix your fuckup yet? Because they don't care. They're waiting for this huge thing to eat you so they don't have to deal with you anymore. Jack is just keeping up that little catatonic act back there because he needed an excuse to let you die. Your little Konny over there isn't any better, why do you think he's all the way over there not sparing a passing glance at how you're doing?_  
  
His blood felt like it was freezing in his veins, a cold sweat veiling him as he stared up at the figure that was now inches away and already beginning to stoop down to his level. He squeezed his eyes shut as tears began to roll down his cheeks, waiting for the feeling of teeth ripping away at his flesh. Instead of pain he felt blood splatter his face as silence filled the room once again.   
  
"You okay? Are you hurt?" Clef opened his eyes to see Kondraki lifting the body as much as possible to allow him room to free his legs. He quickly rubbed the tears from his face and nodded before standing up. "I-I'm good, thanks... How's Jack?”   
  
They both looked back to see no change at all, the same unnervingly blank expression. Clef and Kondraki looked at each other then back to Bright, he always had the tendency to do strange things but this was completely out of character. Kondraki reached out to touch his shoulder when the man in front of them snapped back to life, snatching up his wrist before it could touch him. Jack's eyes surveyed the room for a moment before slowly letting go of the taller man's wrist. "Oh, hey guys."   
  
"You okay?” Kondraki asked, rubbing his wrist that was seized by the surprisingly strong grip.   
  
Jack just nodded and looked around at the bodies on the floor. "Everything sorted?”   
  
"Yeah, just gotta get the key. I'll go check the boiler room, you guys check the bodies." With that, Kondraki went into the boiler room, taking a second glance at Bright before looking for the key. Maybe that's a thing he usually does when stressed? It's not as if he can go see Glass anymore to sort things out.   
  
Eventually they found the key on one of the bodies and went back to the panel to activate the generators. A loud grinding sound rang through the room before smoothing out into the mechanical rumbling of engines. That should keep things running until they find a way out.   
  
They began to make their way back to the office they seek refuge in, hoping that the light was enough to drive the instance of 939 away. Everything was fine for now, but something about Jack persisted in the back of Kondraki's mind even hours after the incident. How long can he keep going on like this?


	7. Chapter 7

Several days passed in the same monotonous manner; they would kill any zombies that got too close, scout the nearby cafeteria and medical bay for supplies and plan how to get out of there. It was their main goal at this point but whenever the topic was brought up the conversation almost grinded to a halt and became like trudging through a swamp. They definitely didn't want to stick around in the facility anymore where they always had lingering thoughts of another power cut or loose SCPs being just around the corner, but what if the outside world wasn't any different? The fear of what was waiting for them out there slowly ate them up but nobody dared mention how hopeless this may be.   
  
It definitely showed in the pace at which they planned their escape. They could probably get to the opening mechanism for Gate B and be out in a matter of hours if not minutes but they instead bided their time by planning solutions to every single problem that could arise, no matter how unlikely or ridiculous it may be. Eventually the unspoken tension between them all was becoming so heavy that someone had to do something.   
  
"So, should we go see if our escape plan works?" Clef's voice broke through the silence. The other two men looked at each other with hesitance and a hint of fear before deciding that it's not worth holding back anymore.   
  
"Alright. Jack, you go to the control room and we'll stay by the gate to fight off anything that might try to get in." With that, they gathered up what remaining supplies they had and headed for the gate. Bright had been strangely quiet ever since the maintenance room incident, always opting to go by himself if they ever had to split up. It didn't change now, Jack taking the lead then speeding up as they reached where the hallway intersected to Gate B and the hall that lead to the overhead control room. The remaining two men made sure Bright had disappeared down the hall before turning to each other with an equal sense of concern.   
  
"I don't think we should have let him go alone." Clef half-whispered, leaning against the wall with his hands in the pockets of a labcoat which was splattered with dried blood.   
  
"You think he's gonna do something bad?" Kondraki leaned on the wall next to him and looked down at the smaller man.   
  
"He just seems so much more unstable now. He's always talking about how it wouldn't be as bad if we all just gave up now and I guess I'm just worried that he'll act on that."   
  
"I'm sure he won't act on it as long as we're here for him." Clef nodded and continued to stare at the floor, seemingly bothered by something.   
  
"Something on your mind?" Kondraki nudged him lightly with his elbow to bring him out of his stare.   
  
"I remember something Glass said to me once... He said that remnants of all the people Jack has 'possessed' sort of stick with him. All the D-classes he's used, the murderers and downright psychopaths. They're all a part of him." That made them both stand in silence for a moment, new anxieties invading their minds.   
  
"...If he ever becomes dangerous we'll need to have a plan." Fuck knows what that plan will be, the guy is immortal and it's likely that neither of them could handle leaving one of their friends for the dead to find. Who knows if he could even turn into one of them?   
  
They both stood together in silence for a while, waiting for any indication of the gate being activated but ultimately being met with complete silence. They exchanged looks then waited for a while longer before Clef pushed himself off the wall. "I'm gonna go see what's going on, give a shout if anything happens."   
  
The reality bender followed the same route as Bright had until he reached the stairs leading up to the closed door of the control room. As he ascended the stairs he tried to listen for any movement from behind the door and opened it.   
  
"J-Jack?"   
  
Jack was stood on the other side of the room, hand clenched tightly around his hunting knife that was now embedded in his wrist. He didn't seem panicked in the slightest, instead taking on an expression of manic glee. His head looked up to greet the other man with a smile.   
  
"I can finally be free, there's nobody to transfer my stupid fucking existence to anymore. I-I can finally fucking die!" His words were laced with an overwhelming sense of excitement and relief as Alto stepped forward.   
  
"N-No, I can't fucking lose you too! What the fuck have you done?!" He goes to reach for the knife but Jack pulls his arm away in retaliation, instead using as much force as possible to drag the knife further down his arm.   
  
"You can come with me Alto, you can both come with me and we'll be happy together. Don't you wanna see everyone again? See Meri again?" 

Clef dug his nails into his head and pulled at his hair, desperately trying to push back that trauma that he'd barely managed to come to terms with. The tears began to flow freely again in a mix of despair and rage. "DON'T YOU FUCKING MENTION HER AGAIN!"   
  
"Gonna need you to make a decision, buddy. I'm already feeling lightheaded and it'd be great to leave this existence together, just the three of us." A hint of desperation revealed itself through his manic grin as Clef pushed him away as hard as possible. No matter how much the smaller man fought, he continued to edge closer until he had him cornered against the wall.   
  
Alto heard faint footsteps and Kondraki's voice but couldn't react before a sharp pain ripped through his stomach and caused his breath to catch in his throat. His eyes widened as he looked down and saw the knife that was once in his friend's wrist now buried in his abdomen, a pool of red staining his shirt. Bright took off down the staircase and away from Kondraki.   
  
"Bright? What's going on?" He was about to follow him until he heard pained cries coming from the control room. Ben rushed up the stairs and froze at the sight of a bloodied Clef sitting against the wall with a knife sticking out his stomach.   
  
"W-What the fuck happened?" Ben scrambled to sit in front of him, looking at the wound and wondering where to even start. Clef explained the situation between gasps and cries as every breath caused the knife to shift agonisingly.   
  
"You need to get out of here before- ngh... Before he comes back. We probably made enough noise to draw in monsters from a mile away." Alto tried to push him away but was too weak and in shock to manage anything beyond a light shove. Ben ignored his pleas and pulls a medkit from the bag that they had managed to take from the medbay.   
  
He covers Alto's mouth with one hand and grips the knife handle with the other, giving an apologetic look before pulling it out. The reality bender squirmed and screamed under his hand. Kondraki quickly splashes disinfectant on the wound and winces slightly at another scream elicited from his friend before hastily wrapping the wound in bandages. Clef began to cry more out of frustration than pain, his withering consciousness rendering him unable to fight back. "Why won't you just leave me? You're gonna die if you keep this shit up."   
  
Through slowly fading vision he saw Ben press a button on one of the panels lining the room then come back to him, scooping him up into his arms. The wounded man could no longer fight against his own body as unconsciousness slowly overcame him.   
  
"If we leave, we leave together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for sticking with me, hope you enjoyed this chapter (I enjoyed writing it ;])  
> you can find me on tumblr @thebiggestmel if you're interested!


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